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Some News: Upcoming Workshops and Recently Published Articles

Hi folks! It’s been a while since my last post, and that’s partly due to the fact that I’ve been using my Facebook page as a way to share links to articles, contests, gallery shows and other items I find interesting. Even if you don’t have a Facebook profile, you can see the most recent highlighted stories and links directly to them on ImagingBuffet.com and one of my other sites, PhotoPetTips.com (look for the blue box in the right column of the site).

I’ve also been writing for some other sites, including Photo.net and Pixiq.com. But I haven’t forgotten about you. Look for some reviews and other articles soon, right here on The Imaging Buffet. And with Valentine’s Day in the recent past, I thought I’d share one of my photos: an adorable Boston Terrier named Cupid, who graced the pages of Studio Photography Magazine (February issue of course) a few years back.

Below are some highlighted articles from the recent past, as well as some upcoming workshops that I’ll be conducting in the tri-state area of New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

Recent Articles

I just wrote an article for Photo.net entitled: Factors to Consider when Choosing a Photo-Quality Inkjet Printer. To read the article, visit this page.

A few months back, I had a pet photography article published on Phoozl.com (and if you haven’t played any of the Phoozl photo games, I highly recommend them). To read the article, visit this page.

I recently wrote an article for Pixiq.com entitled: The 13-inch-wide Epson Stylus Photo R3000 Announced: Overview and Comments. To read the article, visit this page.

and to see all my articles on Pixiq.com, including one that describes changes to the Photoshop CS5 Print Dialog Box, visit this page.

I was also quite honored to be one of four photographers and a commercial printer interviewed for a recent (PDN) Photo District News Article by Dan Havlik entitled Living Large: Photographers use the latest large-format inkjet printers and materials to print big for maximum impact. You can find it in the March, 2011 issue of PDN (pages 29-34). For an overview of the March issue, visit this page.

Upcoming Printing Workshops in NJ, NY and PA

I’m happy to announce that I’ll be trekking across the tri-state region in the upcoming months with workshops in New Jersey, New York City and Philadelphia. Below are some quick links to four upcoming workshops (and there are more to come)

1. I’m teaching a full-day color management/fine-art inkjet printing workshop on Saturday March 19, 2011 in Philadelphia, PA at Calumet Photographic. I expect to use an Epson Stylus Pro 3880 (17-inch-wide) and/or a Canon PIXMA Pro 9500 Mark II (13 inch wide) for attendee prints and for explaining a step-by-step Photoshop workflow. For more information, visit this page.

2. I’ll be teaching a very similar workshop with similar printers at Calumet New York City on April 23, 2011. For more information, visit this page.

3. And to round out my tri-state tour for now, I’ll be doing a two-day weekend workshop in Northern New Jersey at Peters Vallery Craft Center May 21-22, 2011. I expect to use an Epson Stylus Pro 3880 for this workshop. For more information, visit this page.

I’m also available for private instruction in your home, studio, via phone, or via remote desktop (with your permission, I can take over your screen and mouse-actually we can both use the mouse). All ImagingBuffet.com readers who mention that they saw the offer here can take 20% off any of my private consulting services if reserved by 3/1/2011. For more information, visit this page.

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask me directly here:
 https://imagingbuffet.com/contact-us/

All the best!

-Andrew

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New Year Greetings from ImagingBuffet.com

I took this photo a few weeks ago on a chilly morning in the Pocono Mountains of Northeast Pennsylvania. For over 20 years I’ve looked at that thermometer, and it always brings back good memories. From my family to yours, I’d like to wish everyone all the best for a happy and healthy New Year!

-Andrew, Belinda and Tyler Darlow

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A Meeting with Vimeo.com: “Couch Mode” and More

About a month ago at the 2010 PhotoPlusExpo in New York City, I had a chance to sit down with a representative from Vimeo.com, a video hosting site that I’ve been familiar with for a few years. If you’re not familiar with Vimeo, here is a short blurb from the company’s press materials:

“Leading video sharing site Vimeo provides the easiest way for people to host and share their videos in high quality…Launched in 2004 and headquartered in New York, NY, Vimeo offers users a video sharing experience that is both entertaining and easy to use. Vimeo is a 2010 & 2009 Time Magazine Top 50 Website.”

Back in February, I wrote this article about The Story Behind the Still–a user-generated HD video contest sponsored by Canon and hosted by Vimeo. It is truly mind-blowing to see the quality of many of the videos, including the story lines, acting, direction, artistry, sound quality, editing and overall impact of the videos. I highly recommend taking a look at the videos and contest details here.

And for some “backstory” from Vincent Laforet, who worked with Canon and Gray Advertising to create the contest, visit this page-a post about the contest before it began, and this page-Laforet speaks about how he and the seven Chapter winners will work together to create the final chapter of the story.

Below are a few other videos on Vimeo I recommend checking out (I’ve embedded one below as well):
https://www.vimeo.com/13557939
https://www.vimeo.com/17439665

[vimeo width=”450″ height=”320″]https://www.vimeo.com/17439665[/vimeo] The Vimeo Vibe

When I started browsing Vimeo videos, I read many of the comments by other content creators and viewers, and noticed a vibrant community that was very supportive and overwhelmingly positive. I would liken it to something akin to a university film class discussion, with a lot of sharing of technical information and gear. That’s what generally sets it apart from other sites like YouTube. Though it depends on the quality of the source material, I’m almost always impressed by the video quality, even when the HD option is not checked. However, HD is usually a better choice for large or full screen video viewing.

The Community Forums on the site are also a great resource for content creators.

Hands-on Couch Surfing

Vimeo.com’s Couch Mode menu when the info box is selected.

Recently, Vimeo launched a new feature on its site called Couch Mode. It works with Google TV and the GTV remote, and an iPad app is in the works. The interface can also be activated from a browser. Couch Mode just requires a browser that supports HTML5 (the latest version of Apple Safari and Google Chrome both support HTML5). Couch Mode creates an environment similar to most people’s TV experience because the videos run full screen, and continuously, one after another, without user intervention. To experience couch mode on a computer, visit: https://www.vimeo.com/couchmode

The Couch Mode experience is fantastic. I especially like the info box view shown in the screen shot above because you can browse other media while a video is playing. The volume of content, however, is pretty limited (featured and  unless you create your own collection of “Liked” videos, which requires a free “Basic” account or paid Vimeo Plus account. Once you have an account, you can navigate Vimeo.com, tag something as a video you like or as a video to watch later. Then when you enter Couch Mode, all of the videos are waiting for you. It’s a bit like navigating the iTunes directory for podcasts and content, without the need to download anything. A few additions to the user interface in Couch Mode, such as a search bar, selectable list of topics, etc. could largely eliminate the need to go into Vimeo.com’s general interface. I guess there is a balance though in making it easy to navigate from the couch with a bowl of popcorn on your lap :).

Vimeo Basic vs. Vimeo Plus

Without going into too much detail, there are two subscription options: Vimeo Basic and Vimeo Plus. Vimeo  Basic is free and Vimeo Plus is fee-based (about US $60/yr). You can compare the plans here: https://vimeo.com/plus

And the Awards Go To…

Also, on October 9, 2010, Vimeo announced the winners of its 2010 Vimeo Awards in New York City. Below are the winners of the contest’s nine categories. Just enter any of the titles below on Vimeo.com to view the videos:

1. Narrative: “Thrush” by Gabriel Bisset-Smith
2. Documentary: “Last Minutes with ODEN” by Phos Pictures
3. Music Video: “Liars ‘Scissor’” by Andy Bruntel
4. Animation: “Between Bears” by Eran Hilleli
5. Original Series: “Break-ups The Series” by Ted Tremper
6. Experimental: “oops” by Chris Beckman
7. Motion Graphics: “TRIANGLE” by Onur Senturk
8. Captured: “Fluid Sculpture” by Charlie Bucket
9. Remix: “BREAKDOWN the video” by Kasumi

The Vimeo Award for Best Video went to “Last Minutes with ODEN” by Eliot Rausch, which chronicles the last minutes of a dog, Oden, who loses his struggle with cancer. The film was shot using a Canon 7D by Directors of Photography Luke Korver and Matt Taylor. Vimeo awarded them with a grant of $25,000 and the Best Video Award, with for the purpose of making a new, original work.

For more information about Vimeo, visit Vimeo.com.